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I was about to press for a straight answer when my mother-in-law called.
"Gladdie, what's going on in the chat? Why are you and your sister-in-law fighting?"
Something knotted up in my chest. "Mom, I'm not fighting with her. Annette's insisting my bracelet is hers. Is it wrong for me to ask her to explain?"
My mother-in-law sighed. "Your sister-in-law's just at the end of her rope."
"So being at the end of her rope means she gets to frame people?"
"You shouldn't talk about your sister-in-law that way. You did wear a gold bracelet at your wedding."
I almost laughed.
"Mom, listen to what you're saying. I wore a bracelet at my wedding, so it's hers? I wore a gold necklace and a gold ring too. Are those hers as well?"
There was a pause on her end. A few seconds later, her tone changed.
"Gladdie, that's not how it works. You married Nat Swanson, so that gold bracelet is marital property, the two of you own it together."
"Mom, my mother bought me that gold bracelet. It's premarital property. It doesn't belong to Nat, and it certainly doesn't belong to Annette."
"Don't be so heartless about this." Her voice climbed. "Your sister-in-law just bought a wedding home, she's genuinely short on cash. Just give her the gold bracelet to tide her over for now."
"And after she's tided over?"
There was no sound from her end.
"So once the bride's married in and finds out the bracelet isn't Annette's, she starts talking divorce, and you all force me to just hand the gold bracelet over for free?" I said.
My mother-in-law sounded flustered. "Who's forcing you? That's an ugly thing to say."
"Not as ugly as the way you're all grabbing at it."
She stalled, then softened her voice.
"Gladdie, you're an only child, your family's comfortable. Mom knows this bit of gold means nothing to you."
"Your sister-in-law didn't marry as well as you. She's not like you, her husband can't earn the way yours does. Getting this daughter-in-law married in has nearly cost her half her life."
"And Hudson is your nephew. A wedding is a big thing, and as his aunt it's only right that you help out."
I was genuinely angry now. My voice shook a little when I spoke.
"Mom, no one said I wouldn't help. But there's no logic in taking my dowry to marry a daughter-in-law in for her."
Her tone shifted again. "Gladys, part of that belongs to my son too. What gives you the right to decide it all on your own?"
My voice went cold and hard.
"Then let's see whether your son gets to decide!"
And I hung up on her.
While I'd been on with my mother-in-law, Nat's calls had been coming in nonstop. I called him back.
He sounded on edge.
"I saw the chat. Annette says the gold bracelet is hers?"
"You had no part in this?"
"What part would I have in it?" Nat could barely hold his temper down. "Isn't the gold bracelet the dowry your mom gave you? My sister even posted about it back then, showing it off for me. What's she trying to pull?"
Hearing that he didn't know eased something in my chest.
"Your mom just called. She wants me to hand it over to help Annette. She also said you get the final say on this."
Nat let out a short scoff.
"How do I get a say over something that isn't mine?"
"So if it were yours, you'd get the say?"
He rushed to explain. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. Everything in our house is yours to decide. If you say we help, we help. I'll go along with whatever you say."
I paused.
"What do you actually think about this?"
"What is there to think? That's your dowry. Nobody touches it."
"I'll handle my mom. Don't worry about it."
Then he posted a message in the chat.
"The gold bracelet is the dowry my mother-in-law gave Gladys. It's her personal property. @SafeAndSound Annette, why are you saying it's yours?"
Annette fired back a furious voice message.
"Nat, whose side are you on?"
"I'm on the side of what's right."
"Don't talk to me about what's right. Growing up, this family always put you first. They bought you a house, got you married, and I paid for your college. Mom and Dad said so, you owe me this!"
Nat didn't let her slide.
"The year I started college was the year you bought your house. Mom and Dad took my tuition money to cover your down payment. I applied for financial aid and worked part-time jobs to earn my own living expenses. And you're saying you put me through college?"
"I bought my own wedding home. Gladys and I are the ones paying the mortgage. The sixty-six-thousand-dollar betrothal payment was money I borrowed myself. I didn't spend a cent of this family's money, and I don't owe you anything."
Annette went quiet.
After a while, she posted one more line in the chat.
"Nat, so now that you've got a wife you don't recognize your own sister?"
That line pulled sympathy out of the relatives.
An aunt jumped in first. "Nat, your sister has it hard. As her younger brother, don't be so stingy."
Another aunt tagged me too. "Gladys, you're all one family. Don't let this get so ugly."
I gave a cold laugh.
"Family doesn't scheme after someone else's gold."
